Wetland Ecology Lecture Test 2

benefits of wetlands

-fish and wildlife habitats
-water quality improvement
-flood water storage
-shoreline erosion protection
-recreation and aesthestic appreciation

why do wetlands provide large quantities of food?

the combination of shallow water, high levels of inorganic nutrients, and high rates of primary productivity.

producers vs consumers

producers are autotrophs that convert the suns energy into sugars and carbohydrates for themselves, which can then go up the food chain when they are eaten by consumers

what percentage of threatened or endangered species rely directly or indirectly on wetlands?

43%

how do wetlands improve water quality?

by intercepting surface runoff (like nitrogen or phosphorus from agriculture) and removing or retaining inorganic nutrients, processing organic wastes, and reducing suspended sediments before reaching open water. wetlands help mitigate environmental problems like dead zones and algal blooms

Category 1 wetland (def)

low quality wetland- minimal wildlife habitat, minimal hydrology and recreational function. can also be an isolated wetland that has been fragmented by human development.

Category 2 wetland (def)

moderate quality wetland- provide a fair wildlife habitat, hydrology and recreational function. these are degraded but have potential for improvement

Category 3 wetland (def)

high quality wetland- superior habitat, hydrological, and recreational functions.

3 guidelines for determining the scoring boundary of a wetland

-identify the locations where there is physical evidence that the hydrology changes rapidly
-all areas with high hydrological interaction are within the same scoring boundary
-artificial boundaries such as property lines, roads, state lines, etc should not be used to determine any wetland boundary

Monday Creek wetland is a surface flow wetland created to treat what 2 contaminants?

heavy metals and acid mine drainage

4 methods used to construct small scale wetlands

-dikes/berms/dams
-tile cuts
-ditch plugs
-dugouts
-stop logs

define a small scale wetland and describe why they are important

-small scale wetlands are typically 1-10 acres and can exist within a more large, complex wetland system
-they are important in providing habitat diversity as well as stopover and staging for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds

wetland creation (def)

establishment of a wetland where there was not one before, like the Canaanville wetland (often mitigation areas)

wetland restoration (def)

recovery of a wetland to its former condition (had been degraded, then improved)
like cutting agricultural tiles in a field

wetland enhancement (def)

improvement of an ecological function of a degraded or disturbed wetland

constructed wetland (def)

developed to provide a specific function (raising pH in a watershed, reducing pollution, etc)

Factors to consider when evaluating a potential site for a wetland

-soil --> check permeablility, texture (hydric soils preferred)
-landscape position --> surrounding land use, watershed site
-topography
-seed bank, potential for revegetation
-check for open ditches, tile

two types of water control methods, advantages and disadvantages of each

straight pipes/culvers- cheap, keeps water level from overflowing but does not allow us to out water back into the system
stop logs- more expensive, adaptable and easy to install, allows us to manipulate the water level

4 ways to revegetate a constructed wetland

-seed from nearby wetland
-transplant (most successful)
-import seed bank
-buy seeds

ideal acreage ratio between wetland and upland buffer

3-4 acres of buffer for every acre of wetland

minimum width for upland buffer

100 ft

what is the purpose of an upland buffer?

to ensure that pollution or other environmental disturbance does not get to the wetland habitat, consists of mostly herbs and grasses over trees and shrubs

three problem invasive species in wetland restoration

-purple loosestrife
-canary reed grass
-phragmites (common reed)

3 macroinvertebrate communities important for waterfowl food sources

-benthic (live in substrate)
-nektonic (swimming in water column)
-epiphytic (live on plant stems)
-

drawdown timing and purpose

drawdown is the lowering of water levels in a managed wetland. typically done in spring (March) to allow seed producing annual plant populations to explode, which then attracts macroinvertebrates (food source for waterfowl)

what are Green-tree reservoirs and why are they important?

-hardwood forest bottom land that is intentionally flooded in the fall after growing season
-they expand the fall feeding for waterfowl
-management should take into consideration natural disturbance regimes for that area- may not need flooded every year but rather every 2-3 years

Over 70% of shorebirds prefer habitats with _____% vegetation and less than ______ water.

25% vegetation and 4 inches of water

hemi-marsh (def)

habitat with a 1:1 ratio of open water to hydrophytic plants, provides equal food and cover for waterfowl